"A Look to the Heavens"

"These two mighty galaxies are pulling each other apart. Known as the "Mice" because they have such long tails, each spiral galaxy has likely already passed through the other. The long tails are created by the relative difference between gravitational pulls on the near and far parts of each galaxy. Because the distances are so large, the cosmic interaction takes place in slow motion - over hundreds of millions of years. 

NGC 4676 lies about 300 million light-years away toward the constellation of Bernice's Hair (Coma Berenices) and are likely members of the Coma Cluster of Galaxies. The featured picture was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys in 2002. These galactic mice will probably collide again and again over the next billion years so that, instead of continuing to pull each other apart, they coalesce to form a single galaxy."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211004.html

"The Chief Obstacle..."

"The chief obstacle to the progress of

the human race is the human race."

- Don Marquis

"In the mass of mankind, I fear, there is too great a majority 

of fools and knaves, who, singly from their number, 

must to a certain degree be respected,

though they are by no means respectable."

- Philip Stanhope

"God Grant Me The Courage..."

“God grant me the courage not to give up what I

think is right, even though I think it is hopeless.”

- Adm. Chester W. Nimitz

"Walmart & Kroger Supply Chain Just Took A Massive Hit, Bankruptcies Continue"

Full screen recommended.

The Atlantis Report, 10/27/23

"Walmart & Kroger Supply Chain Just 

Took A Massive Hit, Bankruptcies Continue"

"A year ago, when Kroger and Walmart faced a big problem, they thought about joining forces with Albertsons. They said they wanted to use fancy technology, save money, become even bigger, and mix two famous grocery stores together. But, in reality, they are doing this because they are hurting and need to keep up with the really big players in the business, like Amazon. This merger is their way of trying to get back on their feet to deal with a massive hit.

Walmart, which touts its "Everyday Low Price" policy, has raised prices on milk, frozen meals and detergent, to name a few, as its suppliers battled soaring costs of everything from chemicals to wheat and fuel.

The Global Shipping Crisis is giving a devastating blow to the supply chains of these retail giants. Most of the time huge cargo ships, carrying all the stuff Walmart and Kroger need to stock their shelves, get stuck at sea for weeks, even months. They are like giant floating warehouses, and nothing could get to the stores.

But here's the real shocker: those ships being stuck cause a huge problem. All the stuff couldn't get to the stores. So, the shelves have started to look empty, and that's something no one expected from these massive stores. The goods are also stuck at distribution centers because there is just too much stuff waiting to be unloaded. This meant all the things you usually find at these stores aren’t reaching the stores."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"The Biggest Housing Crash In History Is Already In Front Of Your Eyes As Mass Price Cuts Begin"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 10/27/23

"The Biggest Housing Crash In History Is Already 

In Front Of Your Eyes As Mass Price Cuts Begin"

"Phase two of the housing bubble burst is officially here. A major reversal has started as sellers continue to slash prices amid rising mortgage rates. A wave of price cuts is about to change everything in the market, especially with inventory levels increasing while demand is falling off a cliff. This is the turning point experts have been warning about. Fewer people are buying homes right now, and on the other hand, more homes are being listed on the market. The supply and demand imbalances are already noticeable in many areas of the country. We’re now dealing with a very dangerous environment where any shock could be the catalyst of a disaster.

New data released by real estate listings firm Zillow this week has shown that in some of the hottest markets of 2021 and 2022, home price cuts are ramping up. In fact, the firm has said that more homes are seeing price cuts this year than they have in the past 5 years, with the percentage of home listings that had a price cut jumping to 9.2% in September, topping the 7.9% rate for the comparable period in 2019, Zillow said, calling it "unusually high" even when considering seasonal shifts in the housing market.

But despite the rapid growth in the rate of price cuts, the market is still completely frozen. We have actually got to a point where demand is so low there isn’t much lower it can go. On the flip side, when we look at the number of new home listings, we can observe that supply is growing, and it’s growing faster than everyone anticipated.

Zillow revealed that a supply glut is starting to form in several markets. Nationwide, new home listings went up by 4% in August, and in September, they climbed to the highest levels since February. Sellers are waking up to the fact that mortgage rates are unlikely to meaningfully decline anytime soon, finally parting with their relatively low rates. Many are worried sinking demand could cause home prices to sharply drop if they wait any longer. It’s exactly when sellers start to panic and dump more inventory into the market despite the falling demand, that supply can rise exponentially from one month to the other. It’s in those moments that the deepest price cuts occur and the carnage begins.

At this point, any event that may disrupt economic activity can rapidly change the perception of the market, and investors' sentiment turns negative, triggering a rush to sell, and consequently, a crash. The final stage begins when buyers who purchased their homes at inflated prices can’t longer pay for their mortgages, sparking what experts call “stress sales”. They can lead to further price drops and create a downward spiral. Investors will start to panic and sell their properties to get out of the market before conditions get even worse, meaning that sellers will begin undercutting one another.

That’s what happened in 2008. Once the downfall began, home prices lost 27% of their value. This time around, to bring affordability back to long-term averages, it would take some combination of up to a 37% decline in home prices. The pain will be devastating. The stage is already set and the signs are everywhere. Now, all we can do is wait for the trigger to be pulled."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"That One Chance..."

"You get that one chance; and damn it, you've got to take it! If there's one lesson I know I will take with me for eternity, its that there are those things that might happen only once, those chances that come walking down the street, strolling out of a café; if you don't let go and take them, they really could get away! We can get so washed out with a mindset of entitlement– the universe will do everything for us to ensure our happiness– that we forget why we came here! We came here to grab, to take, to give, to have! Not to wait! Nobody came here to wait! So, what makes anyone think that destiny will keep on knocking over and over again? It could, but what if it doesn't? You go and you take the chance that you get; even if it makes you look stupid, insane, or whorish! Because it just might not come back again. You could wait a lifetime to see if it will... but I don't think you should."

- C. JoyBell C.

“The Better Angels Of Our Nature: How Charles Dickens Influenced Abraham Lincoln"

“The Better Angels Of Our Nature:

How Charles Dickens Influenced Abraham Lincoln"

by Gene Griessman, Ph.D.

“Here’s the story of an obscure but beautiful quotation from Charles Dickens that found its way into the First Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln. n 1861, before his inauguration, Lincoln showed a draft of what he intended to say to William Seward, his Secretary of State. Seward recommended that Lincoln conclude with conciliatory words, and sketched out a few sentences for Lincoln to consider.

Seward’s rough draft, which has been preserved, contains the expression “better angel.” Twenty years earlier, in 1841, Charles Dickens had used “our better angels” in his novel “Barnaby Rudge.” There is no evidence that Lincoln read Dickens, but Seward did. Lincoln read Seward’s rough draft in which Seward had scratched out the words”better angel” and substituted in their place “guardian angel of the nation.” Lincoln then turned Seward’s discarded two words into the memorable expression “better angels of our nature.”

The quotation from Dickens is below. I like the entire quotation very much, not just because it contains the germ of a concept that Abraham Lincoln immortalized, but because of its wise and spiritual insight.

“The thoughts of worldly men are for ever regulated by a moral law of gravitation, which, like the physical one, holds them down to earth. The bright glory of day, and the silent wonders of a starlit night, appeal to their minds in vain. There are no signs in the sun, or in the moon, or in the stars, for their reading. They are like some wise men, who, learning to know each planet by its Latin name, have quite forgotten such small heavenly constellations as Charity, Forbearance, Universal Love, and Mercy, although they shine by night and day so brightly that the blind may see them; and who, looking upward at the spangled sky, see nothing there but the reflection of their own great wisdom and book-learning.

It is curious to imagine these people of the world, busy in thought, turning their eyes towards the countless spheres that shine above us, and making them reflect the only images their minds contain…So do the shadows of our own desires stand between us and our better angels, and thus their brightness is eclipsed.”(italics added)

One final comment. Shakespeare used the words “better angel” in “Othello,” and we know for certain that Lincoln had read “Othello.” The expression is used in a remark made by Gratiano, a nobleman from Venice, after the death of Desdemona to describe enlightened and restrained human impulses. Gratiano speaks of pushing away the ‘better angel” which would hold him back from taking bloody revenge on Othello.”

- http://www.whatyousay.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

Peoria, Arizona, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Judge Napolitano, "Prof. John Mearsheimer: How Is The Israeli Invasion Of Gaza Hurting Israel?"

Full screen recommended.

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/27/23

"Prof. John Mearsheimer: 

How Is The Israeli Invasion Of Gaza Hurting Israel?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Redacted, "Col. Douglas MacGregor, 'We Are Watching ARMAGEDDON Unfolding Before Our Eyes'"

Full screen recommended.

Redacted, 10/27/23

"Col. Douglas MacGregor, 

'We Are Watching ARMAGEDDON Unfolding Before Our Eyes'"

"Israel tells Hezbollah that Iran would cease to exist if they attack IDF in Gaza. Col. Douglas MacGregor joins redacted and warns we are watching Armageddon unfolding before our eyes."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Weeb Union, PM 10/27/23

"Israel Invades Gaza"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

Judge Napolitano, "McGovern & Johnson - The Intel Roundtable"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/27/23

"McGovern & Johnson - The Intel Roundtable: 

Can Intel And Diplomacy End The Israeli/Hamas War?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Dan, I Allegedly, "I Believe None Of This"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly 10/27/23

"I Believe None Of This"

"We get the GDP numbers in and we’re supposed to believe that the world is all right. We all know that people have no savings and that the real estate market is about to fall off a cliff. Things are not well."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jim Kunstler, "Chomp Chomp, Gulp Gulp"

"Chomp Chomp, Gulp Gulp"

By Jim Kunstler

“Remember the good ole’ days when we lived in a country where no one had the answer to this baffling question: How could something like the Holocaust happen?” - John Nolte, Breitbart

"Of course, you realize that if this tragic business in the Middle East gets out of hand millions of people might die, maybe even you and me. Any way you cut it, looks like Islam wants to rumble. Basic problem: the little slab of land on the Mediterranean at issue is in the possession of one group of people and another group of people wants to drive them out. There is no “two state solution” because there is only one place in that place.

The world has already forgotten the butchery of October 7. Islam won’t even go so far as to acknowledge that something happened there, or that it matters. This is a quandary for Western Civ which operates lately on the ethos that anything goes and nothing matters. Face it: that’s a luxury belief. A society in collapse learns painfully that the first thing to go is luxury, Louis Vuitton bags and foolish Woke thinking. Western Civ may not be able to pretend any longer that nothing matters.

The reason Israel is where it is is because Western Civ treated the Jews abominably in the 1930s and 40s. The result, establishing a state of Israel in its historic location, was a power move, of course, by the powers who won the Second World War, but it had the imprimatur of a sacred duty. We’ve forgotten the impact, even to regular grunt US soldiers who liberated the extermination camps of Europe, of the unspeakable barbarism they encountered. It maimed the psyche of Western Civ to discover what savagery its best educated member nation turned out to be capable of. Is there any question that Germany lost its mind in those years?

Western Civ has been busy losing its mind for about seven years now. It’s so tormented that it has been flirting with suicide, for instance, allowing its borders to be overwhelmed with swarms of declared antagonists to Western culture. The European Union guilt-tripped themselves into letting that happen. The process in the USA appears more sinister and calculated, a sheer political ploy. In any case, nobody is lifting a finger to stop it.

Israel is a full-fledged member of that lunatic asylum. Israel is engaged in as much of a civil war between Left and Right as its godfathers in Europe and North America are enduring. On top of that, Israel decided to become the poster-child for Covid-19 vaccination “uptake.” It seemed like a valiant stand in the first flush of the Covid “crisis,” but now it looks more like they poisoned more than 90-percent of their population. You don’t hear much about it these days, but it’s lurking there, just like the massive vaccine damage that Europe and America have by stealth sustained lurks in the background of rising war fever and disintegrating economies.

It looks like the Islamic nations that surround Israel like a child in an alligator pit have made the calculation that now is the time to gobble up the little interloper. Trouble is, that child is armed to the teeth. It also looks like the alligators don’t care. It happens that they have small alligator brains, not that good for gaming out clashes of civilizations. All they care about is chomp chomp and gulp gulp. One question they fail to ask: Would the Middle East actually be a better place without an Israel? I bet this hasn’t occurred to any of them. Once it’s gone, they’ll be chomping and gulping each other, I assure you.

Our nation, under the leadership of “Joe Biden” (…iden…iden…iden…iden…), has deployed our mighty warships in the waters all around and amongst Israel’s adversaries. Hard to see how that couldn’t happen, our sacred duty and all. If called upon, they can probably do a lot of damage - though there is plenty of reason to believe that Iran has enough anti-ship cruise missiles to create a big problem for us. Heck, Iran has enough long range conventional guided missiles to turn Haifa and Tel Aviv into ashtrays. But then, five minutes later, the same would be true for Teheran and Damascus, only they’d be radioactive. And who knows what those swarms of moiling migrants in the US and Euroland might be inspired to do, when it comes to that?

Jihad is in the offing. Too many are itching to set it off. Now they’re just waiting for an excuse, a reason to ignite the fuses. The obvious excuse would be an Israeli military incursion into Gaza. That would git’er done, I’m sure. The Israelis must realize this. Despite prior expectations, though, and even given the thirst for vengeance, they might realize it’s unnecessary. They’ve done enough bombing in Gaza. They could neutralize the command network of Hamas pretty much the same way they got the Black September ringleaders of the Munich Olympics massacre, 1972 - a methodical hunt over years, decades. They don’t have to shout from the rooftops, either. Everyone will know.

There is the fate of the Gaza hostages to consider. It doesn’t look good. Given enough time, of course, they can be shuttled around geographically here, there, and everywhere and concealed for years. They have value. World opinion will turn on the hostage-takers, though you might argue that no longer matters. I rather expect that rescue operations are well-planned and some may be carried out. But, overall, many of these poor pawns are apt to be lost. Tragic is tragic.

If we manage to avoid World War Three, America has its own grave problem to consider, which is comprehensive collapse - of economic activity, the financial scaffold for it, and of civil order in a society under deadly stress. Most of this damage has been induced by our own political leaders. Now that the House of Representatives has been put in order, it’s time for that body to act expeditiously and relieve “Joe Biden” of his responsibilities… and then Ms. Harris… and then Messrs. Garland, Mayorkas, and Wray. Out with them, post haste, and begin the project to save our own country."

- https://kunstler.com/

"Power and Punishment"

"Then I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” - Revelation, Chapter 16, 1. Woodcut engraving after a drawing by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (German painter, 1794 - 1872), published in 1877.

God commanded the Israelites, “In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them - the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites - as the Lord your God has commanded you.” - Deuteronomy 20:16-17

"Power and Punishment"

From death and destruction in the Levant to politics on the Pampas..

by Bill Bonner and Joel Bowman

Youghal, Ireland - "What a bad week. Two things happened that stomped, as if on a cigarette butt, on the little remaining faith we had in social progress, democracy and the human race. First, a group of terrorists or freedom fighters (depending on your point of view) attacked and murdered hundreds of Israelis. And if that wasn’t bad enough, in retaliation, the Israelis began shooting the fish in the Gaza barrel.

People settle their disputes as best they can. Often, they lose their patience. They lose their tempers. They lose their grace and dignity. But the real disgrace falls on the friends who, instead of talking sense to them, cheer them on…and provide more ammunition. Death total so far: 1,400 Israelis, 6,000 Palestinians.

Nothing from Nothing: Everything comes from something else. The attack on Israelis by the Palestinians from Gaza….as well as the eye-for-an-eye strikes on Gaza by the Israelis…both have their roots in long traditions, policy choices, fear…loathing…the politics of the Near East and the craven heart of mankind.

What will come from the destruction of the Gaza ghetto? Just to take a wild guess, it will lead to more violence…and more business for the firepower industry. He who has the most firepower wins. But nobody can maintain a monopoly on firepower for very long. New, cheap, light, AI-guided, drone-delivered weapons could tip the balance of firepower. Then, the last shall be first…and then last again.

God will decide for Himself who’s right and who’s wrong. “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” He advises mankind. But when you’ve got an empire…and a trillion-dollar firepower industry, you pick sides. You send your ‘think tank’ shills into the media to explain why ‘western civilization’ is at stake. Your retired generals go to Capitol Hill to tell the politicians how they need to ‘make Americans safe’ by spending more money. And you sleep soundly, knowing that God is on your team…while your bombs fall on the ‘other team.’

It worked for you in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Ukraine. It’s a winner, too, in Israel. And who knows, maybe you’re be able to bring Iran into it too, and build an indoor pool in your house in McLean.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the US continues to oppose a ceasefire, fearing that the ‘enemy’ might gain some advantage from not being killed. Meanwhile, a Congressional committee suggests that we need more nukes…better nukes…because, we just don’t have enough of them. The Washington Examiner: "US needs to update nuclear posture to defend against China and Russia: Congressional commission." Rep. Mike Rogers says this is a ‘wake up call.’

Whatever else can be said about it, and in spite of Professor Pinker, it tells us that little progress has been made over the last 3,000 years. The Israelites did their dirty work in the promised land. Then, the crusaders did the same. The English did it in Ireland. And now, the Israelis are at it again. But from America…2023…we hoped for better.

A real economist is merely an observer, trying to understand how the knee bone is connected to the leg bone…and how that enables man to walk. Unlike Bernanke or Yellen, he is not some mad Frankenstein, attaching the leg to the elbow claiming it will help him walk faster. Actions have consequences. We try to figure out what they are.

The other thing that snuffed the precious remnant of our faith in democracy was the election in Argentina. Here was a clear choice. One candidate – Massa – represented the status quo. He was the candidate put forward by the Peronist party, which has been in control since 1946, almost permanently…and has made Argentina the delightful sh*thole it is now. Not only that, Massa is currently the finance minister, more responsible for today’s 200% inflation than perhaps any living human.

On the other side was Javier Milei. Crazy? Maybe. He is advised by his dead dog. We see nothing disqualifying about that. Much better a dead dog than a live economist. The advice will be better.

The choice was clear. More of the same…or something different. Milei is not a mainstream, modern economist…but he is a serious one. He is a follower of the “Austrian school”…which is close to the ‘moral philosophy’ approach we follow here. He is probably right about how to improve the Argentine economy – cutting expenses, using the dollar as the currency, and burning down the central bank –…though, there may be huge and impassable political barriers to getting the job done...as we will see…

So, what did the benighted Argentine voters…do? They voted for Massa…the man most responsible for their misery! ‘Give us another kick in the pants,” they pleaded. "Poison our wells. Rape our wives and daughters. Steal our money. Cheat us. Por favor!"

Two Wrongs: What a pathetic display. But now we see why the Argentines are where they are. You don’t always get what you want in life…or what you expect. But you get what you deserve. The gauchos got it good and hard. Now, they want more of it. Go ahead, Mr. Massa; give it to them! The run-off election is in November.

And what about the Palestinians? What do they deserve? Didn’t they vote for Hamas? Don’t they deserve to die? We don’t know. We wouldn’t feel confident making that kind of judgment. Besides, it’s not up to us. The old timers have a lot of good advice on this point: “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” they tell you in kindergarten. “Vengeance is mine,’ sayeth the Lord. “If you go seeking vengeance, take two coffins,” says the old Sicilian proverb. Advice to US and Israeli policymakers: get an extra coffin, just in case."

o

Joel Bowman, with a few notes from Buenos Aires, Argentina… As for power and politics down here on the Pampas, a dear reader writes in: “Seems to me that the vast majority of the Conservative Bullrich vote would be more inclined to vote for Milei over Massa.” From your lips, dear reader…

Observes another: “A distinct possibility: If you add the conservative’s 23% to Milei’s 30%, palpably, you get 53% (always based on some assumptions, but maybe a sign of HOPE).”

To bring our readers up to speed, the field has narrowed to two horses... the incumbent, Peronist Sergio Massa... and the insurgent, anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei. The rest have gone to the glue factory. For the upcoming election, all eyes will be on the orphaned voters, those left behind by the ousted candidates. Of particular interest, the 23% who voted for Patricia Bullrich, the center right candidate. Assuming the Massa-Milei voters stay in their lane, it is her followers who will likely decide the coming election, on November 19.

But first, what’s this? Some Argentines are wondering where all Massa’s new voters came from. In the primaries, held just a couple of months ago, 22.5 million hopeful voters went to the polls. The breakdown was as follows:

7.5 million for Milei

6.7 million for Bullrich

6.5 million for Massa (+ Grabois)

The second round, held this past weekend, saw 26 million voters head to the polls. The count:

7.9 for Milei

6.3 for Bullrich

....and 9.6 million for Massa!

In other words, of the 3.5 million new voters, 3.1 million (88%) went to the guy who lost the first round... and who is in charge of the biggest financial mess the country has seen in decades. Hmmm...

Whatever you choose to make of that, it’s sure got people here talking ahead of the final lap. And now, Patricia Bullrich has officially endorsed Milei. “Last night I had a meeting with Milei,” she announced on television this week. “We talked about his statements and we forgave each other because today the country needs us to be able to forgive each other. The future is at stake.”

Meanwhile, Professor Steve Hanke of Johns Hopkins University is advising Sr. Milei on his proposal to dollarize the Argentine economy, a move that would see the country ditch the flailing peso and switch to the US dollar. Prof. Hanke oversaw the dollarization of both Montenegro (1999) and Ecuador (2001). We’re going to see the good professor next week to find out what it’s all about. We’ll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned…"

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

Gregory Mannarino, "AM/PM 10/27/23"

Gregory Mannarino, AM 10/27/23

"Alert! US Warplanes Strike Syria, 

More Death = Higher GDP"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Gregory Mannarino, PM 10/27/23

"Be Ready For Absolutely Anything! 

Financial System Liquidity Evaporating Faster"

-  https://traderschoice.net/a

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jeremiah Babe, "Everything Is Broken And Getting Worse"

Jeremiah Babe, 10/26/23

"Everything Is Broken And Getting Worse"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Canadian Prepper, "Well... Here We Go..."

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 10/26/23

"Well... Here We Go..."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Hell, And Heaven..."

"Many people don't fear a hell after this life and that's because hell is on this earth, in this life. In this life there are many forms of hell that people walk through, sometimes for a day, sometimes for years, sometimes it doesn't end. The kind of hell that doesn't burn your skin; but burns your soul. The kind of hell that people can't see; but the flames lap at your spirit. Heaven is a place on earth, too! It's where you feel freedom, where you're not afraid. No more chains. And you hear your soul laughing."

- C. JoyBell C.

Musical Interlude: Chuck Wild, "Liquid Mind, Dream Ten”

Full screen recommended.

Chuck Wild, "Liquid Mind, Dream Ten”

"Liquid Mind" (aka Chuck Wild) originally wrote this music to deal with the anxiety and stress of overwork and the serious illness of friends. The gentle ebb and flow of the music has an immediate "slowing down" effect, providing a serene escape from tension-filled days. Ideal for stress relief, falling asleep at night and to enhance meditative and therapeutic practices. There are few composers with as much love for slowness in their music as Wild. Chuck draws from classical and pop influences as varying as Beethoven and Brian Eno, Bartok and Rachmaninoff, Bach, Chopin and Fauré, Duruflé and Brahms."

- http://www.liquidmindmusic.com/

Musical Interlude: Bruce Springsteen, "My Home Town"

Bruce Springsteen, "My Home Town"

"Now Main St. white washed windows, in vacant stores,

Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more.

They're closing down the textile mill cross the railroad tracks,

Foreman says these jobs are goin' boys,

And they ain't comin' back, to your hometown..."

"A Look to the Heavens"

"Cradled in cosmic dust and glowing hydrogen, stellar nurseries in Orion the Hunter lie at the edge of a giant molecular cloud some 1,500 light-years away. Spanning nearly 25 degrees, this breath-taking vista stretches across the well-known constellation from head to toe (top to bottom). The Great Orion Nebula, the closest large star forming region, is right of center. To its left are the Horsehead Nebula, M78, and Orion's belt stars. Red giant Betelgeuse is at the hunter's shoulder, bright blue Rigel at his foot, and the glowing Lambda Orionis (Meissa) nebula at the far left, near Orion's head. 

Of course, the Orion Nebula and bright stars are easy to see with the unaided eye, but dust clouds and emission from the extensive interstellar gas in this nebula-rich complex, are too faint and much harder to record. In this mosaic of broadband telescopic images, additional image data acquired with a narrow hydrogen alpha filter was used to bring out the pervasive tendrils of energized atomic hydrogen gas and the arc of the giant Barnard's Loop.”

- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101023.html

The Poet: David Whyte, ”Sweet Darkness”

”Sweet Darkness”

“When your eyes are tired the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark where the night has eyes

to recognize its own.

There you can be sure you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb tonight.

The night will give you a horizon

further than you can see.

You must learn one thing:

the world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds

except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness

to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.”

- David Whyte,

“House of Belonging”

"Problems?"

Problems? "Dig you way out," they said...

"Reality Avoidance"

"Reality Avoidance"

by Morris Berman

"It's quite amazing how the news is endlessly about filler, which is what I call it. Very little of this has anything to do with reality, which the Mainstream Media and the American people avoid like the plague. What then is real?

1. The empire is in decline; every day, life here gets a little bit worse; all our institutions are corrupt to varying degrees; and there is no turning this situation around.

2. A crucial factor in this decline and irreversibility is the low level of intelligence of the American people. Americans are not only dumb; they are positively antagonistic toward the life of the mind.

3. Relations of power and money determine practically everything. The 3 wealthiest Americans own as much as the bottom 50% of the population, and this tendency will get worse over time.

4. The value system of the country, and its citizens, is fundamentally wrong-headed. It amounts to little more than hustling, selfishness, narcissism, and a blatant disregard for anyone but oneself. There is a kind of cruelty, or violence, deep in the American soul; many foreign observers and writers have commented on this. Americans are bitter, depressed, and angry, and the country offers very little by way of community or empathy.

5. Along with this is the support of meaningless wars and imperial adventures on the part of most of the population. That we drone-murder unarmed civilians on a weekly basis is barely on the radar screen of the American mind. In essence, the nation has evolved into a genocidal war machine run by a plutocracy and cheered on by mindless millions.

Most Americans hide from these depressing, even horrific, realities by what passes for the news, but also by means of alcohol, opioids, TV, cellphones, suicide, prescription drugs, workaholism, and spectator sports, to name but a few. This stuffing of the Void is probably our primary activity. In a word, we are eating ourselves alive, and only a tiny fraction of the population recognizes this."

- https://morrisberman.blogspot.com/

Must View! Judge Napolitano, "Scott Ritter: Joe Biden and WW III"

Full screen recommended.

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/26/23

"Scott Ritter: Joe Biden and WW III"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Hezbollah has 200,000 missiles..."

"15 Biggest Retail Chains Disappearing Before Our Eyes"

Full screen recommended.

Epic Economist, 10/26/23

"15 Biggest Retail Chains Disappearing Before Our Eyes"

"While we might be shocked to see the news about the financial problems some of the country's biggest retailers are facing this year, many brands are silently disappearing from the U.S. retail industry without catching the attention of the media. They are closing a smaller number of locations at a time not to raise any red flags. However, these chains have actually been significantly reducing their store counts over the past year, leaving a massive hole in the market. Low-income communities are losing their local pharmacies, coffee shops, and grocery stores. At the same time, big cities are witnessing what experts call the "retail exodus," a new trend in which retailers leave highly populated areas where theft is becoming rampant. The scenario is changing very rapidly.

For example, CVS revealed it will close 900 stores by the end of 2024, the Daily Mail reported. About 300 CVS stores are being closed in 2023 as the retailer adjusts to post-pandemic demographics and quit areas where inventory losses due to shrink are going up. The drugstore chain said it is undergoing a new retail footprint strategy, and that it is trying to implement more tech in its operations. CVS has been open about the impact of shoplifting on its bottom line, estimating hundreds of millions in losses in the current fiscal year. The closings are sparking debates about 'pharmacy deserts' as more retailers leave low-income communities. Millions of households may lose their local drugstore, but the retail giant said the profit losses due to theft give it "no choice".

Similarly, Over 400 Starbucks stores have been shuttered in the U.S., according to The U.S. Sun. The good news is that the company opened new locations too, in a smaller more cost-efficient format. Still, the closings have left millions of customers across many cities without their local coffee shop. In fact, on October 22, the coffeehouse chain closed 7 stores in San Francisco, and it signaled that it may leave the area altogether if the city's theft problem continues to escalate. The reasons behind the large number of closings are many. On top of rising shoplifting, the company has been accused of union busting after deciding to shutter 150 stores where unionized workers demanded better pay and working conditions and went on strike during the spring. Moreover, Starbucks also eliminated underperforming stores from its system and closed older locations where it would be too expensive to do renovations.

It's getting increasingly harder to manage a retail business in America. Businesses aren't being able to keep up with the constant changes in consumer behavior. They are also failing to accurately predict demand and financially hurting due to tighter credit conditions amid a slower spending environment. It's safe to say that we will hear about bankruptcies and shutdowns far more frequently in the months ahead. Many CEOs are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst as the threat of recession becomes bigger, and so should you."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

The Daily "Near You?"

McCracken, Kentucky, USA. Thanks for stopping by!

Dan, I Allegedly, "No One Wants An EV Car"

Full screen recommended.

Dan, I Allegedly 10/26/23

"No One Wants An EV Car"

"We are now hearing from auto companies that are telling the world that they are not ready for full EV car production yet. It’s just a matter of time until more companies follow this."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"Joyride to Catastrophe"

"Joyride to Catastrophe"

The bond rout deepens, the empire recedes 

and your fellow readers weigh in on what comes after the US Dollar...

by Bill Bonner and Joel Bowman

"Geopolitical tensions are highly elevated and 

pose important risks to global economic activity."

~ Jerome Powell, last week

Youghal, Ireland - "We have no reason to abandon our hypothesis. The financial world shifted in the summer of 2020. Thenceforth, the last shall be first...

We’ve seen how the bond market has been turned upside down, with the world’s safest credit – the US Treasury 10-year bond – losing 40% of its real value. What we haven’t seen is a massive selloff in the stock market. Instead, equity values are being chipped away by inflation. And while bonds should bounce…inflation might take a break…and stocks might go up…the Primary Trend will probably be with us for many years – bond yields up, stocks down, with inflation going up and down, but not going away.

The Spiral Effect: This new Primary Trend will require large-scale adjustments, including erasing trillions of dollars’ worth of ‘investments’ that can never pay off. That is just the way of the world…nothing to worry about, provided you’re on the right side of the adjustments…and the authorities don’t make the situation worse. But that is exactly what they are doing. Rather than cut back on spending and borrowing – Congress continues its joyride to catastrophe. 

Business Insider: "Treasury bond supply could soon hit record levels as unsustainable deficits and high rates create spiral effect, Bank of America says "Higher interest rates will likely have a meaningful impact on deficit spending and result in larger UST issuance, creating a spiral effect. Rates will have to materialize more than 100bps below forwards for costs to not rise materially as a share of GDP," the analysts wrote. "A daunting supply picture becomes even more challenging given the backdrop of higher financing costs."

With the $1.7 trillion deficit of fiscal year 2023 topping expectations, BofA adjusted its outlook for future years: between 2024 and 2026, deficits will steadily climb from $1.8 trillion to $2 trillion. Meanwhile, net interest payments will account for an increasing share of GDP, climbing to a record 3.5% in 2026. Which brings us to our theme. It’s the ‘more to the story’ we’ve been hinting at. Several intriguing and dangerous trends are afoot; other ‘primary trends.’

Bombs Bursting in (their) Air: Already, the US firepower industry is doing all it can to keep the killing going in the Ukraine and Israel. Last year, Putin and Zelensky were reportedly ready to reach a negotiated settlement. The US and Britain insisted that the war continue. And last week, Brazil proposed a ceasefire in Gaza. Most of the UN was in favor. But the US vetoed it. And here comes Joe Biden with a request for $105 billion more of firepower.

The mistake is so obvious, it must be no mistake at all. In WWI, by 1916, England, France and Germany were already worn out from two years of war. Left alone, they would have had no alternative but to work out a peace settlement. Enter the US with an almost inexhaustible supply of new money, soldiers and delusions…and the war continued for another two years – with perhaps 10 million more deaths, leading to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the rise of Nazism in Germany.

Today, without US support, the guns would probably soon stop blazing in the Ukraine and in Israel, too. But the situation is also fundamentally different. The US was the young, rising power of the 20th century. Now, by our reckoning, it is a declining one. A man of a certain age fears losing his masculinity. He colors his hair. He takes the ‘blue pills.’ He ditches his old wife and takes up with a chorus girl. Trying to deny the inevitable, he risks making a fool of himself…and a disaster of his life.

Geriatric Caesar" A great empire has its night sweats and daylight dreads as well. Its aristocrats and political heavies fear being upstaged, outgunned, and overshadowed by an upstart competitor. It sends out its warships…it offers its bribes and payoffs…it builds up its garrisons – like the poor Roman limitanei shivering on the banks of the Danube or poor Charles Gordon starving in Khartoum while waiting for his neck to be cut.

The inevitable loss of US power is a kind of Primary Trend of its own. Insecurity increases…as the costs for fake security increase (more and more of the expense pays for yesterday’s security… military pensions, legacy weapons systems maintenance, veterans’ benefits, interest on ‘defense’-inspired debt, etc.)

But the real risks to the US are neither in China, Israel or the Ukraine. They’re right at home, the usual, predictable ones – financial and political. The US is spending more than it can afford. If it continues, it invites more inflation, bankruptcy and weakness.

And with the decline in US power comes a decline in US leadership. Those with the ‘power of the purse’ can barely elect a speaker…and when they do, they choose one of the biggest dopes in the House. How can they tackle difficult trade-offs…or confront the powers-that-be behind the lurid and distracting headlines?

Joe Biden claimed, ‘American leadership is what holds the world together.’ If that were true, the world should buckle up. Fortunately, Biden’s palaver is just the blah-blah of the geriatric Caesar of a degenerate empire.

Only a small group of Republicans has shown any interest in cutting back on spending. And even they are deeply conflicted by their desire to maintain the empire at all costs. Fund the Ukraine…fund Israel…fund a new war against China! The result is: no serious cost cutting is ever considered…and no serious effort is made to ‘balance the budget.’ In fact, there is no budget to balance…just a series of ‘omnibus spending bills’…stumbling…improvising on the way to catastrophe.

The financial disaster is so clear…so obvious…and becoming so imminent…that only a fool could miss it. Yet, somehow…in one of the great mysteries of modern democracy, ‘the people’ have elected about 450 of them. More to come…"

o

Joel’s Note: "We asked; you answered. A few days ago, we wondered aloud what might replace the almighty greenback, should the day come when the preferred plaything of America’s elite reaches its intrinsic value. This was no exercise in self-pity, mind you… all government-issued currencies eventually return to the dust and ash whence they came.

Down here in Argentina, for example, the peso is evaporating in real time. Restaurants in our neighborhood have even stopped printing prices on their menus, having tired of the effort (and cost) of constantly updating them. And while the ruling sanguivores drain every last drop of lifeblood out of the economy while they still can, talk among the challenging opposition is of imminent dollarization…

Professor Steve Hanke of Johns Hopkins University, who measures annual inflation down here on the Pampas at a blistering 221%, says “dollarization is the only cure for the economic destruction caused by Peronist policies.” And Professor Hanke would know, having helped design and implement dollarization policies in both Montenegro (1999) and Ecuador (2001).

Of course, Argentina doesn’t enjoy the “exorbitant privilege” of being able to print the world’s reserve currency… only the end of the world’s full retard fiat. What would happen, we wondered, if an Argentine-like currency catastrophe were to descend on the American Empire? In the case of total greenback collapse, in other words, what might replace the US dollar? With just over 1,750 votes cast in 24 hours, the results were as follows:

• Four percent of you foresaw your new Chinese overlords imposing a yuan reserve currency on the once-proud United States...

• Six percent of you thought a new paper dollar was the most likely replacement for a withered greenback...

• Thirty percent of your fellow readers reckoned a gold-backed dollar would serve as a likely substitute for the fallen greenback…

• And finally, at fifty-one percent, a majority of you see a digital dollar, or Central Bank Digital Currency, in your future…

That left (for those of you counting along in your heads… you know who you are!) roughly one in ten who went with “other”… including sardines, canned beef and "precious metals" (copper jacketed lead). Gotta love the BPR readership! Thanks to all those who voted and/or wrote in. Look out for some more of these little “group research projects” in future notes. And don’t forget to invite some mates along for the fun, below. Cheers!"

- https://www.bonnerprivateresearch.com/

"How It Really Is"

 

"Adventures With Danno, AM 10/26/23"

Full screen recommended.

Adventures With Danno, AM 10/26/23

"Shopping With Purpose At Kroger!"

"In today's vlog, we are at Kroger and are shopping with purpose as we seek out different holiday food options and other food items that are worth stocking up on. We take you shopping with us to try and help all of us save money on groceries!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

The Atlantis Report, AM 10/26/23

"Amazon And Walmart Will Flip Retail Upside Down In 2024"

"The countdown to 2024 is no ordinary countdown, it's a ticking time bomb that threatens to shake the core of the retail world as we know it. Amazon and Walmart, the giants of shopping, are about to turn the selling world upside down in a big and potentially alarming way. They're using the latest technology and data to try and take over the market, and this will have some negative consequences for the way we all shop. It's a bit of a retail revolution, and it is not good news for everyone."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

"It Would, Indeed..."

 

"‘I Cry Quietly’: A Soldier Describes the Toll of Russia’s War"

Full screen recommended.

"‘I Cry Quietly’: 

A Soldier Describes the Toll of Russia’s War"

"For Valentyn, a Ukrainian soldier in the Donetsk region, the war’s death toll is more than a statistic. He is tasked with moving wounded troops - and dead bodies - away from the front lines, often under Russian fire."

"Under Russian Fire, 

A Ukrainian Soldier Evacuates the Wounded"

By Yousur Al-Hlou and Masha Froliak

Near Kremmina, Ukraine - "The sound of artillery launching and landing along the front line punctures the stillness of the forest just a few miles away, where combat medics are waiting to receive the wounded. On the horizon, a military vehicle moves along a dusty road and screeches to a halt when it reaches the trees. A soldier named Valentyn parks it there for natural camouflage from Russian drones scouting for Ukrainian military positions.

A group of soldiers, visibly shaken, quickly unloads three bodies that have just been recovered from the front line, placing each one into a plastic body bag and zipping it closed. Their position was shelled and then attacked by a drone, they say. “They’re shooting at you from all sides. You turn, you run, they hit you, and it’s impossible to get away,” said Maksym, who survived the attack. “This is a big tragedy for us.” “One more body is left behind with the Russian soldiers,” he added.

While much of the world’s attention was fixated on the bloody urban battle taking place in Bakhmut, Russia’s campaign in eastern Ukraine was also raging in forests and fields about 50 miles north of the city, near Kreminna. Here, soldiers take positions in trenches surrounded by tall, slim trees, crouching to avoid the direct line of sight of their Russian enemies. “People say it’s harsh in Bakhmut,” said Valentyn, who joined the army seven months ago. “But it’s harsh here, too.”

For the past month, Valentyn has been stationed at this evacuation point, traveling back and forth to the front line almost daily to rescue wounded soldiers and recover the dead. His job requires him to drive directly toward Russian forces, and he has come under fire at times. “There is nothing good about it,” Valentyn said. “What is this war for?”

Ukrainian and Russian military officials have been reluctant to release data on casualties within their ranks, though the U.S. government and military experts estimate that both sides have suffered significant losses in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

For Valentyn, the work of responding to the casualties has been both grim and relentless. “There is blood everywhere,” he said, while cleaning it from his vehicle. “It has a smell. Especially fresh blood.” Bright red liquid trickled through his fingers as he rinsed out a bloodied cloth. He drained the cloth and used it again to wipe off the back seat. “It’s difficult to see young boys die,” Valentyn said. “Sometimes I cry quietly.”

In calmer moments when there is no one to evacuate, Valentyn travels deep into the forest to transport soldiers to and from the contact line, where Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are sometimes positioned just hundreds of meters apart. He said at least one group of soldiers couldn’t make it to their position because Russian troops had already taken it over.

“Every day is scary here,” said Viktor, a soldier who returned with Valentyn. “I feel constant anxiety, for our country and our lives.” His stoic face reflected the fear and horror known only to those who had witnessed the fight in the forest. “Those who haven’t been there will never understand.”

- https://www.nytimes.com/

"World War III Update, 10/26/23"

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/26/23

"Alastair Crooke: The Dangers of Military Escalation in the Middle East"

"Judge Nap: Do you think that President Biden is under pressure from the globalists and neocons around him to take this as an opportunity, once and for all, to destroy the regime and its nuclear capability in Tehran?

Alastair Crooke: I think so, yes. I think there's pressure. I'm not saying he's succumbed to it. I'm not saying it will prevail, but you have to look at it from the other end of the telescope too. In the region, people look at this huge build-up and they see, is America preparing for World War III?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Firstpost, AM 10/26/23

"Amid a Delayed Ground Invasion in Gaza,

 What's Israel's Gameplan? Vantage with Palki Sharma"

"It's day 20 of the Israel-Hamas war.The global support for Israel has seemingly shifted over the last few days. This comes as Israel is delaying its ground-invasion of Gaza. While the U.S. supports Israel's defense against Hamas, Turkiye has taken a u-turn. Turkish President Erdogen has called Hamas a "liberation group". Amidst a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, what will be Israel's next move? Palki Sharma brings you the complete story on Vantage."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom, 10/25/23

"Col. Douglas Macgregor: 

How Ill-equipped Is The US For Two Wars?"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Full screen recommended.

Hindustan Times, 10/26/23

"'Don't Provoke': Putin's Wake-up Call 

To West Amid Israel-Hamas War"

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed the West and warned that the Israel-Hamas war could spread beyond the Middle East. He said that there were unnamed forces that wanted to fan the war fire. He urged the world to stop the bloodshed and not to provoke any parties involved in the war."

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Gregory Mannarino, "AM/PM 10/26/23"

Gregory Mannarino, 10/26/23

"The Financial System Is Collapsing, 

And The US Economy Is Now 100% War Dependent"

- https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

o

Gregory Mannarino, PM 10/26/23

"It's Over! US Trade Deficit Skyrockets,

 Expanding $2.8 Billion Per Day!"

-  https://traderschoice.net/

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Canadian Prepper, "Alert! Insane Military Build Up; Explosion By Nuclear Plant; Russia And Israel Nuke Warning!"

Full screen recommended.

Canadian Prepper, 10/25/23

"Alert! Insane Military Build Up; 

Explosion By Nuclear Plant; Russia And Israel Nuke Warning!"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Jeremiah Babe, "We Are Sleepwalking Our Way Into A Global Crisis"

Jeremiah Babe, 10/25/23

"We Are Sleepwalking Our Way Into A Global Crisis - 

The Real Threat Is Massive Deficit Spending And Debt"

Comments here:

- https://www.youtube.com/

Musical Interlude: 2002, “Where The Stars And Moon Play”

Full screen recommended.

2002, “Where The Stars And Moon Play”

“Pamela and Randy Copus are the duo known as 2002. Randy Copus plays piano, electric cello, guitar, bass and keyboards. Pamela Copus plays flutes, harp, keyboards and a wind instrument called a WX5. Both musicians also provide all of the vocals on their albums, recording their voices many, many times and layering them to create a "virtual choir" with a celestial, angelic quality.”